Friday, 23 March 2007

Declaration of Opposition to the KOR-US FTA and Pledge to Participate in a Solidarity Hunger Strike

Join Korean Americans Against War and Neoliberalism (KAWAN)* and the Korean Alliance Against the Korus FTA (KoA)

In Waging a Global Hunger Strike Against the Korea-United States Free Trade Agreement (KorUS FTA) and the Bush Free Trade Agenda

March 23, 2007

The United States
and South Korean governments are frantically working around the clock
to sign the Korea-U.S. Free Trade Agreement (KorUS FTA) by April 2, when
it must be submitted to Congress for a vote by July 1. If signed, the
KorUS FTA will be the second largest trade deal since the North American
Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA).

In South Korea, tens of thousands of farmers, workers, and students are organizing for a massive demonstration on March 25, 2007. Since Monday, March 19, over 100 people have been waging a hunger strike in Seoul and other cities across the country. On Monday March 26th, the number of hunger strikers will grow to 1000.

We ask for your solidarity in stopping the KorUS FTA and all Bush FTAs.

The
March 25 massive demonstration is organized by the Korean Alliance
against Korea-US FTA (KoA), a coalition of over 300 organizations
representing millions of trade unionists, peasants, students,
environmental and public health advocates.March 25is the day of international action to stop the KorUS FTA, all Bush FTAs, and the spread of corporate-led globalization. The U.S. is now negotiating free trade deals with several countries, including Peru, Colombia, Panama, South Korea, and Malaysia.

In solidarity allies in the United States
and around the world will wage a 36 hour global hunger strike to oppose
the KorUS FTA and the free trade regime that is destroying our
livelihoods, our communities, our human rights and our environment. The hunger strike will be timed with South Korea?셲 3 pm, March 25 (the start of the mass mobilization) through 3 am, March 27 (just after the end of first day of the 1000 person hunger strike.) For
the reference of those in the U.S., this is 2 am, March 25 through 2 pm
March 26 Eastern Standard Time and 11 pm, March 24 through 11 am March
26 Pacific Daylight Time.

March is the critical month in the fight to stop all pending U.S. FTAs
from conclusion. Unfettered free trade has been directly responsible
for the massive loss of jobs and erosion of hard-won benefits and rights
for workers, farmers, and laws protecting our public health and
environment. Wholly undemocratic, the only voices heard behind closed
negotiation doors are that of corporate interests.

Join us for this 36-hour global hunger strike! We will send Korea the solidarity list by Saturday, March 24 for KoA to read at the March 25 mass demonstration.To sign-on go to: http://www.gopetition.com/online/11558.html. For more information, call: 718.335.0419 or email: yul-san@nodutdol.org.

*Founded in April 2006, KAWANis
a national coalition of progressive U.S.-based Korean organizations
endorsed by hundreds of immigrant, people of color, LGBT, farmers??
workers?? women?셲, national liberation, anti-war and anti-globalization
groups. For each of the eight rounds of negotiations between the U.S. and Korea,
we have waged protests and resistance with our Korean allies. We have
held forums, held direct action and civil disobedience and engaged in
lobbying and advocacy efforts.

Declaration of Opposition to the KOR-US FTA and

Pledge to Participate in a Solidarity Hunger Strike

We,
the undersigned, express our opposition to the Korea-U.S. Free Trade
Agreement, which poses a serious threat to public interest in both South Korea and the United States.
The Korea-U.S. FTA is based on a model of trade agreement that is
designed to profit of transnational capital and big business at the
expensive of workers, farmers and common people and has been negotiated
through a secretive and undemocratic process. Such a trade agreement
must not be implemented.

We are opposed to the secretive and undemocratic nature through which the Korea-U.S. FTA has been negotiated.

FTA
talks have been held in remote places away from public view or in
secrete outside of the official negotiations. The South Korean
government has routinely withheld relevant information and documents from stakeholders, the National Assembly, and the general public. It has also closed off public debate through insufficient hearings and media censorship. Worse, it has severely suppressed anti-FTA sentiment, banning peaceful protests and arresting protest participants.

We are opposed to a trade agreement thatwill destroy the livelihood of South Koreanfarmers and harm the environment.

The Korea-U.S. FTA calls for unconditional opening of the South Korean agricultural market to cheap overproduced American-grown products. The consequent deterioration of Korean agriculture will have devastating social, cultural, and environmental effects: Statistics show that roughly half of South Korea?셲 farmers will be unable to maintain their farms and be forced to join the ranks of the urban poor. The resultant destruction of rural communities will mean the break-up of rural traditions that are the basis of Korean culture, and the deterioration of the rural environment.
The Korea-U.S. FTA also threatens the environment by introducing
mechanism through the lowering of environmental standards such as the
Investor-State Claim Clause.

We
are opposed to a trade agreement that directly threatens vital public
services such as health-care, energy provision and education.
The Korea-U.S. FTA calls for higher pricing of pharmaceuticals-
benefiting transnational pharmaceutical companies at the expense of
access for common people. The FTA will also limit the Korean
government?셲 ability to ensure equitable access to energy and water
supply by fostering privatization in these sectors and diminish the validity of public education through the introduction of private U.S.-based testing services, which will increase the demand on students to seek private education programs

We are opposed to a trade agreement that threatens cultural diversity by allowing for harmful infringement on South Korea?셲 cultural industry.

Reduction of South Korea?
셲 screen quota, which protects the nation?셲 film industry, was made a
prerequisite for beginning FTA negotiations. Further, the current
Korea-U.S. FTA will require removal of similar protections for Korea?셲 broadcasting industry. These measures endanger the public function of the broadcasting industry and the uniqueness of South Korea?셲 audio-video language. The provisions of the Korea-U.S. FTA are inconsistent with the UNESCO Convention on the Protection and Promotion of the Diversity Cultural Expressions, which affirms the right of each member nation to formulate and implement regulations aimed at promoting domestic cultural expression.

We
are opposed to a trade agreement that grants undue powers to investors
at the expense of domestic development and public interest.

The
unconditional investor-state claims clause included in the Korea-U.S.
FTA affords greater privileges to foreign investors than those granted
by domestic law, providing a mechanism through which investors??claims
can place enormous monetary penalties on taxpayers and pressure the government to adopt lower environmental and labor standards
to avoid future claims. The Korea-U.S. FTA also calls for a reduction
in government procurement contracts in order to open these markets to
foreign capital. In South Korea,
procurement policy promotes the growth of thousands of small businesses
in various regions, providing entrepreneurial opportunities to
businesses that are conscious about environmental and labor issues. As such, they are vital to keeping public interest alive and maintaining community-government cooperation.

On March 25 at 3:00 PM (South Korea time), tens of thousands of farmers, workers, students and concerned persons will take to the streets throughout South Korea to protest the KorUS FTA. The following day, 1000 South Koreans will engage in a hunger strike. (Since March19 over 100 have been fasting.)

In
order to demonstrate the sincerity of our opposition to the KorUS FTA
and of our solidarity with the Korean people we pledge to conduct a
United States-wide hunger strike to coincide with these activities. Thus, we, the undersigned, pledge to fast from 2:00 AM, March 25 through 2:00 PM, March 26 (Eastern Standard Time). Furthermore,
we athorize Korean Americans Against War and Neoliberalism to send this
statement of protest, with all signatures collected, to South Korean
Consulates across the United States and the South Korea Embassy, the
office of the United States Trade Representative and White House in
Washington, DC.

We,
the undersigned, stand in solidarity with the Korean people. We call
for abrogation of the Korea-U.S. FTA negotiations to date and
cancellation of all future talks and legislative processes.